Best Nintendo Switch Micro SD Cards - Cheapest Memory Cards In 2024 | Nintendo Life

The best SD card deals and discounts for your Switch

If you own a Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, or Switch OLED and tend to download games from the Nintendo eShop, you'll soon find yourself running out of storage space. A lack of storage is one of the Switch's few weaknesses, and the fact that there are so many amazing digital-only games on Nintendo's store means the issue's only becoming more of a problem.

The answer? Expand your Switch's memory by getting a great deal on a Micro SD card to store more games. Fortunately, there are plenty of cheap memory upgrade options for Switch in 2024 including mighty 1TB and 1.5TB Micro SD cards that will erase your storage woes for good (the Switch supports cards up to 2TB in size, although they don't actually exist just yet).

Below, we've rounded up all of the best Micro SD card deals you can get right now at the cheapest prices.

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Here are the best deals and cheapest prices on microSD cards that are perfect for your Nintendo Switch in the US. All models featured are from trusted brands, so note that less reliable cards won't be featured here:

And here are the best deals and cheapest prices on microSD cards that are perfect for your Nintendo Switch in the UK:

These 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 400GB, 512GB, and 1TB officially licensed Nintendo Switch micro SD cards from SanDisk aren't always the best value price-wise, but they sure do look pretty and will no doubt appeal to Nintendo collectors or those looking to gift an SD card to someone special.

Being SanDisk products, these come with the levels of performance and reliability you'd expect and need for playing games on your Switch. We've always had a great experience with these cards and can wholeheartedly recommend them:

New to 2024:

Complete Nintendo Range:

Other game-related options also exist, such as these Fortnite and Apex Legends cards:

Everything you need for your Switch

And how to get discounts!

Need more help? Our micro SD card FAQ below should answer any questions you might have...

While the Switch does have useable internal memory, it won't last you forever if you download games, updates, and content from the eShop.

There are certain games that are too big to fit on Switch's internal memory, so sooner or later you'll probably need to invest in a micro SD card.

The Switch supports any UHS-I Micro SD, Micro SDHC, or Micro SDXC cards. If you have no idea what any of that means, don't worry, it's pretty difficult to stumble across a card that isn't supported by the Switch.

Given how little the speed differs between the different cards that the Switch does support, we recommend just ignoring that aspect entirely and just grabbing the cheapest you can find from a well-known brand and seller. It really doesn't make much difference.

Besides, cartridges are almost always slower than Micro SD cards, so no matter which you go for, you're going to get improved loading speeds.

To access the Micro SD card slot on an original Nintendo Switch, simply pop out the kickstand on the back of the console. Insert the Micro SD card into the slot with the logo facing up. Push the card into the slot until it makes a reassuring clicking sound. To remove it, push again until it clicks and it should then pull away easily.

The Switch Lite may not have the kickstand, but you'll find the cover in the same place on the back of the console on the bottom left.

And on Switch OLED the slot is hidden behind the larger kickstand on the left. It's re-orientated horizontally, but it's probably the simplest of the three Switch consoles to insert or remove the Micro SD card.

At the moment, speed isn't really worth considering when you purchase a micro SD card for your Nintendo Switch. The reason for this is that the Switch only supports UHS-1 cards, which max out at 104MB/s in terms of speed. The UHS-2 types are three times faster, with a 312MB/s speed but that's irrelevant as the Switch doesn't currently support them.

While it's true that the speed between even the UHS-1 cards does vary, the differences just aren't noticeable enough to worry about. That's why we've focused purely on the best value for money, as there is a considerably larger difference between the prices of two micro SD cards than there is the speed.

It's going to be a while until 2TB cards are available and, more importantly, affordable. Right now you typically have the choice of 1TB, 512GB, 400GB, 256GB, 200GB, and 128GB (or lower, although we wouldn't recommend going any smaller than 64GB, and that will fill up fast).

SanDisk has a Micro SD card with a capacity of 1.5TB, which is a fantastic option for Switch owners who plan to download a lot of games, but it's naturally a little more on the pricey side. If you have that sort of cash to spend, this is currently the ultimate option for your Switch.

An alternative approach would be to buy multiple cards and swap them depending on which games you want to play - slightly more effort, but potentially very affordable. Just be sure to keep them in a safe place.

There are plenty of options, but what is the best brand of SD card for Nintendo Switch? Ideally, you want the fastest micro SD card for improved loading times; generally, a good micro SD card will slightly outperform Nintendo's physical game cards, which is a bonus for downloaders.

You can usually get a "read speed" rating on the SD Card you're looking at buying. You should also know that micro SDXC is the newer, faster type versus the older micro SDHC.

Brands also offer "premium" versions of their products; one example is the SanDisk "Ultra" range, which is typically populated by their fastest cards.

We'd recommend going for one of the premium offerings if you can, but it shouldn't make a huge difference for the average user, especially as Switch is currently unable to take advantage of the fastest speeds. All options listed in our guide above are more than suitable for your needs.

Given the regular Nintendo Switch's limited 32GB of internal storage – of which only 25.9GB is actually usable – you're going to be forced to install the vast majority of your downloaded games directly onto the micro SD. Even Switch OLED's 64GB isn't large enough to carry some games in their entirety.

However, we have learned that games installed directly onto the internal storage saw improved load times over cartridges and micro SDs, with the most extreme cases improving load times on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild by five seconds.

The differences between Switch cartridges and micro SD were too small to really fuss over – a mere second or two here and there – but it does seem like installing on the console's own internal storage offers a significant improvement. As such, we'd recommend installing your most played game(s) on your internal storage, and the rest onto the micro SD.

To move a Nintendo Switch game from your Micro SD card to the console's internet storage, or vice versa, you'll need to select System Settings from your console's menu.

In System Settings, choose 'Data Management', and then 'Move Data Between System / microSD Card'.

Choose which direction you want your chosen game to move (either from the SD card to console or vice versa) and select the relevant option. Then simply select your game, hit 'Move Data', confirm your selection, and that's it!

Whichever Micro SD card you pick, you're going to be increasing the potential of your beloved Nintendo Switch. If you plan on taking your Switch out with you on your travels, having a large capacity will be a great idea as you won't need to carry loads of pesky carts around with you.

Looking for more? Check out our other Switch buying guides:

Which Switch controllers should you buy?

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